Distinguishing Features
A small owl, similar to the Screech
Owl, but even smaller and has dark instead of yellow eyes, shorter
ear tufts and naked toes. Generally greyish-brown with prominent
dark streaks. Light buffy coloured abdomen again heavily streaked
with darker brown. Total length 16 -19 cm. (Godfrey, 1986).
Distribution
Columbia Basin: Southern Rocky Mountain
Trench as far north as Radium.
British Columbia: Currently known
to breed in dry forests of the southern interior as far north as
McLeese Lake, north of Williams Lake. Confirmed sightings from the
Rocky Mountain Trench, at least as far north as Radium Hot Springs,
suggest breeding there (Cannings et al. In prep.).
Global: Breeds in w. North America
from the s. interior of British Columbia, east to w. Montana, Colorado,
New Mexico, and south to Mexico (McCallum 1994a).
Winters in c. and s. Mexico, as
far south as Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador (Cannings et al.
In Prep.).
Habitat
In British Columbia, Flammulated
Owls inhabit mature and old-growth montane forests, primarily within
the Interior Douglas-fir biogeoclimatic zone. Forests over 100 years
old seem to be preferred. Breeding habitat generally has widely
spaced, uneven-aged Douglas-fir, often interspersed with ponderosa
pine and thickets of young Douglas-fir that serve as security and
foraging habitat. Flammulated Owls are secondary cavity-nesters,
using old woodpecker holes in older decaying and dead trees, and
occasionally nest boxes. The understory is typically open, consisting
of pine grass, birch-leafed spirea, and other large shrubs (Cannings
et al. In prep.).
Threats
Timber harvesting in older Douglas-fir
and ponderosa pine forests has the single greatest impact on Flammulated
Owl breeding habitat in British Columbia by affecting cavity and
prey availability. Firewood cutting and removal of "danger
trees" can also reduce the availability of nest trees. As a
secondary cavity-nester, they are potentially sensitive to changes
in woodpecker populations. An intrinsically low reproductive rates
as a potential long-term threat to maintaining viable populations
in the face of persistent habitat changes. There is speculation
that predation by Barred Owls, grazing and fire management may also
effect this species. Land clearing and secondary insecticide poisoning
are also threats (Cannings et al. In prep.).
Biology
In late April, Flammulated Owls
begin to arrive in British Columbia and eggs are laid in late May
to early July. Clutch size ranges from 1 to 5. Depending on annual
variations in weather, hatching occurs from early June to the end
of July followed by a three-week fledging period. Immature owls
are independent of parents 25 - 32 days after fledging and disperse
30 -35 days later. Northern populations begin autumn migration in
August or early September (Cannings et al. In prep.)
Flammulated Owls are mainly insect eaters, feeding
opportunistically on adult and larval moths; spruce budworms, beetles,
grasshoppers and crickets. They are "sit and wait" predators,
hunting at night by visually locating prey from their perch, then
flying to capture it in the air or pick it off needles, branches
or the ground. Dawn and dusk seem to be peak foraging periods (Cannings
et al. In prep.).
